ORIGIN

1972 Toyota Celica GT

This 1972 Toyota Celica GT is our preferred early model with the small chrome bumpers. The exterior and interior are nicely finished, but the most alluring feature is the JDM 18RG DOHC engine and 5-speed transmission. Find it here on eBay in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Special thanks to BaT reader Derek B. for this submission!

Comments

I ended up purchasing the car and it is now out here in California. It looks nice but nneded a lot of work. I had to replace the steering column and repair the wiring so the car will now start with an ignition key and the column locks. I removed and tossed that aftermarket POS tach and rewired the tach to work on an electronic ignition setup. I had to replace all of the front brake related items, pads, rotos, rebuild calipers, replace front struts, wheel bearings, grease seals, Brake hoses, as well as the inner and outer tie rod ends both sides. I had to track down the original accelerator setup and tossed the cable junk. While at it I cleaned and painted the engine as well as rejetted the carbs. LAst on the list is to install door locks back in the doors so they will lock and unlock with a key. the doors would not lock. The car was originally a Ga. car so it did well in the south and from as I understand it one year or so in Wi. being redone so no salted roads. I also sold the Konig rewinds and installed period N.O.S. Panasport 14×7 whells with 195/60/14 tires much better now. I will redo the muffler to get it out of sight. Not a bad car for the money but I now have sunk a lot more into it and this one will stay with me as they are about extinct now. With regards to the 307 in a 1969 Camaro yes they did make their way in between the fenders. There was a inline 6 a bad a– 302 that was a Z/28 only motor. The 307 repalced the 327. A 350 a 396 and yes 69 1969 Camaros came with an all aluminum 427 and over a 1000 with the cast iron 427. I am into camro’s as well and have a 1969 RS Z/28 with the proverbial 302 and a M-27 close ration 4 speed and a 12 bolt posi with the standard 3:73 rear gear.

FYI, there was no 307 cubic inch Camaro in ’69. And the Z28 was “only” 302 cubic inches in ’67-’69. Hopefully the quotes “” convey my sarcasm, as the 302 is an awesome engine in it’s own, Trans Am, small cid way. Jeff

@Kevin, you are right, a fact is a fact. Makes a difference. Making a fake Z28 now is a big deal bad thing, but in the 70s, few people cared. Japanese collectors do not care so much today, but I bet they do someday in the future. But for now, what is, is, and I would rather roll with it than fight it.

You are correct, but not exactly. Minilite went out of business in the mid-1970s. So, to fill the void, more than two dozen companies copied their iconic design, including Watanabe, Panasport and Shelby, among others after the Minilite factory was shuttered.

Had Minilite still been around, they’d surely have sued the daylights out of these copycats.

Someone did indeed resurrect the Minilite Brand in the UK and have been producing a more modern version their original design (and others) for about a decade. Unfortunately, with all those copies out there over the years, they no longer have exclusive rights to their original design.

Case in point: I contacted their North American Distributor a number of years ago and they admitted they had acquired little more than the Minilite Brand and had little knowledge of the kinds of “mag-style” lugnuts I needed for my vintage Minilite wheels. In fact, they admitted they had never even seen the wheels for which I was requesting lugnuts, despite the Minilite name cast into each of them. They were, however, able to provide the correct Minilite push-through centercaps with the iconic Minilite logos.

Sorry Datsun Dave, I don’t agree. Putting a GT emblem on a Mustang does not make it a Mustang GT. I have no problem if someone has, say, an ST, and they state they put a GT package on it. But it is being sold as a GT. Taking a standard 307 cubic inch 1969 Camaro, throwing in a different engine and calling it a Z/28 doesn’t change the fact that you can’t ethically–and legally–call it a Z/28.

For the record, I could care less what is “acceptable” by the Japanese, or Japanese car collectors. A fact is a fact.

In 1972, the Celica was sold in the U.S. only as an ST and so there should be a thorough explanation about this. Within the vintage Celica crowd, indentifying it this as a “GT” is assumed that you made it look like a period JDM GT car.

To make this look, usually a honeycomb grille from a U.S. 1973-1974 GT car is used and emblems/decals from the Japanese model is used. On this car, the front has a later 73-74 emblem, the rear has a early JDM GT emblem (likely reproduction), and the side stripes are most likely early style reproduction JDM GT stripes.

If this car is the Wisconsin Barn find car as referenced above, it is unusual that the car originally had a grille, turn signals, C-Pillar trip from a later car, but the hood and clean bumper would had been proper for 1972.

The GT and ST distinction is moot when the car is not stock powertrain. I had a well sorted 72 briefly and it was great fun to drive. The Bosozoku were a Japanese gang subculture that has existed since at least the 70s and referred originally to street racers or aspiring gangsters who generally retired their bad ass cars and haircuts concurrent with their eighteenth birthdays to go on to become the typical Japanese company men. This stereotype has evolved and now the term is often used to refer to most of the tuner car culture. To suggest the Japanese only focus on aesthetics is way off point. The performance they wring out of everything from a 660 cc Kei truck to any modern Japanese supercar is awe inspiring. Which is not to say they don’t breed a whole different kind of crazy with some of the body and wheel offset mods.

The GT and ST distinction is moot when the car isn’t stock powertrain. I had a well sorted 72 briefly and it was great fun to drive. The Bosozoku were a Japanese gang subculture that has existed since at least the 70s and referred originally to street racers or aspiring gangsters who generally retired their bad ass cars and haircuts concurrent with their 18th birthdays to go on to become the typical Japanese company men. This stereotype has evolved and now the term is often used to refer to most of the tuner car culture. To suggest the Japanese only focus on aesthetics is way off point. The performance they wring out of everything from a 660 cc Kei truck to any modern Japanese supercar is awe inspiring. Which is not to say they don’t breed a whole different kind of crazy with some of the body and wheel offset mods.

The GT and ST distinction is moot when the car isn’t stock powertrain. I had a well sorted 72 briefly and it was great fun to drive. The Bosozoku were a Japanese gang sub-culture that has existed since at least the 70’s and referred originally to street racers or aspiring gangsters who generally retired their bad ass cars and haircuts concurrent with their 18th birthdays to go on to become the typical Japanese company men. This stereotype has evolved and now the term is often used to refer to most of the tuner car culture. To suggest the Japanese only focus on aesthetics is way off point. The performance they wring out of everything from a 660 cc Kei truck to any modern Japanese supercar is awe inspiring. Which is not to say they don’t breed a whole different kind of crazy with some of the body and wheel offset mods.

The GT and ST distinction is moot when the car isn’t stock powertrain. I had a well sorted 72 briefly and it was great fun to drive. The Bosozoku were a Japanese gang sub-culture that has existed since at least the 70’s and referred originally to street racers/aspiring gangsters who generally retired their bad ass cars and haircuts concurrent with their 18th birthdays to go on to become the typical Japanese company men. This stereotype has evolved and now the term is often used to refer to most of the tuner car culture. To suggest the Japanese only focus on aesthetics is way off point. The performance they wring out of everything from a 660cc Kei truck to any modern Japanese supercar is awe inspiring. Which isn’t to say they don’t breed a whole different kind of crazy with some of the body and wheel offset mods.

The GT/ST distinction is moot when the car isn’t stock powertrain. I had a well sorted 72 briefly and it was great fun to drive. The Bosozoku were a Japanese gang sub-culture that has existed since at least the 70’s and referred originally to street racers/aspiring gangsters who generally retired their bad ass cars and haircuts concurrent with their 18th birthdays to go on to become the typical Japanese company men. This stereotype has evolved and now the term is often used to refer to most of the tuner car culture. To suggest the Japanese only focus on aesthetics is way off point. The performance they wring out of everything from a 660cc Kei truck to any modern Japanese supercar is awe inspiring. Which isn’t to say they don’t breed a whole different kind of crazy with some of the body and wheel offset mods.

My first car was a 72 ST. Love that car, very torquey for a 2.0, but sucked gas like a V8. I later, in college, came across an early 71 ST a guy had out by his house. I didnt have the money for it, but it was the same color as this one. To those who said this was a not factoy c0lor, that one was darn close.

I’d love to have another. The price is a function of style, mods and rarity. Even compared to 510s, you just cant find these cars anymore, nevermind tastefully modded. I think there are enough Celica fans out there, that this one might creep close to over $10k

This is a nice example, color notwithstanding. The work’s done well and the 18RG was certainly worth the trouble.

But the starting point is a pretty mundane car, a mix of period Corona and Corolla bits. I’m with anyone who says the driving experience doesn’t come close to that of a 1600/2002 or, for that matter, a decent 510. Collector value is arbitrary; from what I’ve seen, what’s beginning to drive these up is not the desire for pristine originals, but the need for clean platforms from which to build customs. And that tells you all you need to know about the driving experience of these in stock form.

This is a remarkably restrained car, considering which side of the Japanese vs. German, Italian and British fence it’s on. Delia had it exactly right — the Japanese customizing ethic is unique, and not everyone buys into it. To me, it’s very close to the American hot rod and custom movement of the 50s and 60s — build ‘em radical, paint ‘em wild and wow everyone at shows and cruise nights. While those of us who favor European and British marques tend to build for performance and comfort, not eye-bruising outrageousness.

Very nice car. Probably one of few ever in Wisconsin and probably last one still alive. Us folk over here in California are spoiled rotten, because I can see how it’s worth the asking price, but at the same time I find it hard to fork that amount over, when I still see them going through pick-a-part junk yards, which means they bought it for under $500…….. it was orange and rust free, pretty much complete. What a shame that this happens………

Engine swaps are great, but the Japanese community goes so much further than that. Google bosozoku to see what I am talking about. It is way out there, but is generally accepted at a show and enjoyed. This Celica is actually a very conservative build. The Japanese guys welcome cars that are literally slammed into the ground, using airbags to raise the cars, or giving up going over anything more than Botts dots. Not only replica race cars, but fictional race cars and full size replicas of Hot Wheel cars are celebrated. Not a value judgement here, I find it refreshing, and a lot of it comes from a group of younger car builders who are not steeped in the traditional car show or car builder community. I find it interesting and fun.

The 8-valve DOHC 18R-G and its variations were produced from 1973 to 1982, replacing the 8R-G and providing a performance engine which took advantage of the entire 2-litre limit of Japan’s “small car” class.[5] While most 18R-Gs had a head designed and made by Yamaha, a very few had Toyota heads.[citation needed] Yamaha’s tuning-fork logo can be seen on the Yamaha heads. Except for the head and related timing components, most parts were shared or interchangeable with the SOHC 18R. Combustion chambers were hemispheric.

Competition versions of the 18R-G and -GE include those used in rally Celicas of the period, one of which finished second in the 1977 RAC Rally.

I agree that back in the day, the Toyota and Datsun attempts to unseat the 2002 as an iconic industry standard were in vain. The Getrag gearbox alone made it a “no-contest” comparison.

But please don’t tell the 2002 owners with swapped S14s and M20s that show up at the Brisbane Bay Area 02 show and the SoCal Vintage event (October 13 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys) they won’t be accepted. I sure don’t want them to stay home.

I’ve worked/am working on a number of serious 2002 engine swaps and whatever affliction that seems to have overtaken the Japanese enthusiasts has spread to German cars folks, too!

@Delia, I believe the coffee can is properly called a fart can. As to the color, wheels, etc, the Japanese old car community seems to accept and encourage modifications, improvements, and substitutions on their cars that other car owners (British, German, US made car owners) would generally frown on. Yet most all are modified and changed, so they also go overboard when a truly factory stock car (with skinny tires, goofy hubcaps, and high front ride height) actually does make the scene.

I would bet that 2002 is a much more satisfying driving experience. But the variety and taste of the mods you could do to it and still find acceptance in the 2002 is probably a lot narrower. I would also guess that the mods are not so important, because the factory stock car is such a better piece of work right out of the box.

The 18-rc engine in these is a hopeless lump of an engine that doesn’t rev well and burns valves easily. The engine upgrade on this is a big deal and should make this one a hoot to drive, in that push-at-the-limit and precise-yet-disconnected feel that these older Japanese cars all have. These are getting a lot of attention lately, and are very hard to find (unlike a 2002). The bottom half of those tape half-stripes is the wrong proportion (the outlines should be closer together than the outlines of the color filled ones just above them), but that is such an easy fix. The rest of the car is pure old school Japanese joy if it is as advertised.

One small note as I continue to look at this interesting car. If he is the perfectionist, what is it with the wire clumps hanging out from under the dash! I could just see my big goofy size 11s getting caught up in that and ripppppp!

Test-drove a first-year Celica and was glad to get back in my BMW 2002. Mushy suspension, cheezy build quality. It was slow too.

Although the slow part seems to have been rectified here, I can’t quite understand the color change helping the value (despite the quality of his work), and a non-Toyota color to boot.

Japanese car enthusiasts tend to build their rides to a certain…um, aesthetic that I fail to grasp. Coffee-can exhausts are sort of Mazda-rotary-esque and the Minilite-style wheels are never really Minilte as would be correct in the early 70s. (FWIW, Minilite went out of business in the mid-70s.)

this car is a great example of an ra21 celica, Its worth every penny especially considering the 18rg. These Japanese classics are going up in value every year and this is a great investment. You couldn’t build one for what he’s asking.

Very cheeky car – particularly nice from certain angles, but then ugh from others. An automotive chipmunk that could run circles around much of the American iron of the era.

And what a motor – lithe compared to the Motown sound which was getting strangled by emissions. So yes, this thing has the moves, some soul and a song, but I am still wondering – is it a Simon or an Alvin ?